Game too scary without Seamoth in hardcore :(
Jolian
Join Date: 2007-05-23 Member: 60995Members, Constellation
Join Date: 2007-05-23 Member: 60995Members, Constellation
I've played through Subnautica more than once, and as its developed, the game has gotten harder. I'm not unhappy with that, that's good, and I think the recent update has gone a little too far.
I like to play in hardcore mode because I like that there is an actual failure condition, and that it's more realistic - survival is the goal.
Without the Seamoth, you're 100% vulnerable to all of the threats - sandsharks, stalkers, volcanic heat, drowning, little stupid red biter fish, etc. The problem is that getting the Seamoth requires you to venture in to really dangerous areas to hopefully happen upon the right tech to scan and get the blueprint. Even with the Sea Glider, which is great, you can't outrun a sandshark or stalker even at full clip.
Then, once you have the Seamoth blueprint, you can't even build it right away - you then have to find the blueprint for the vehicle bay as well? And you have to search for all of this - and gather the resources necessary to craft both things - while completely "naked" and vulnerable to all of the game's threats.
Having a little bit of difficulty getting a sea-faring craft is all fine and good, but when the first 33%(?) of the game is spent swimming around having to be absolutely paranoid about anything around you and simultaneously having to watch your oxygen meter, that's a little too much to ask in my opinion.
Some suggestions on how to address this, any single one implemented would probably be fine:
I like to play in hardcore mode because I like that there is an actual failure condition, and that it's more realistic - survival is the goal.
Without the Seamoth, you're 100% vulnerable to all of the threats - sandsharks, stalkers, volcanic heat, drowning, little stupid red biter fish, etc. The problem is that getting the Seamoth requires you to venture in to really dangerous areas to hopefully happen upon the right tech to scan and get the blueprint. Even with the Sea Glider, which is great, you can't outrun a sandshark or stalker even at full clip.
Then, once you have the Seamoth blueprint, you can't even build it right away - you then have to find the blueprint for the vehicle bay as well? And you have to search for all of this - and gather the resources necessary to craft both things - while completely "naked" and vulnerable to all of the game's threats.
Having a little bit of difficulty getting a sea-faring craft is all fine and good, but when the first 33%(?) of the game is spent swimming around having to be absolutely paranoid about anything around you and simultaneously having to watch your oxygen meter, that's a little too much to ask in my opinion.
Some suggestions on how to address this, any single one implemented would probably be fine:
- Make the Vehicle Bay a crafting blueprint you start with
- Change the AI around Sandsharks / Stalkers so that they're a little less aggressive, or perhaps act more randomly, or maybe have a smaller sphere of aggression
- Make Sandshark / Stalker death more permanent when they get knifed and respawn less often
- Add an early-game weapon that makes combat against aggressive fish more viable
- Padded armor suit (????)
Comments
even without fins. It is a shame how easy predators are to ignore when you know there movements - I don't want an Earth style shark as they are far too effective a hunter but perhaps just give them a little boost speed, keeping their maneouverability as it is now.
Anyway to OP, it sounds like you aren't comfortable in your own skin - perhaps that would be a good start before upgrading. With fins or the seaglide just play around with a couple of Stalkers until you are comfortable - give them some scrap metal and watch them fight over it, practice circle strafing around them. They are really fun
Honestly you can even evade reapers with the seaglide - I don't have a problem withe progression (I did take a long time to find the modification station though and I think it a little silly that (due to depth of Shroom cave) you can easily unlock bioreactors, nuclear reactors, water filtration etc all before you unlock the MPR - I would add an MPR inside the Aurora as well as a fallback)
So don't swim straight away from them, just juke to the side. It confuses them and they swim off and leave you alone for a while. The other trick is to always be on the move. Even if you're scanning something, keep an eye out in all directions, and move around the thing you're scanning so you're not a sitting duck. Leave it and come back a few seconds later if you have to (or after refilling your O2) -- you won't lose progress.
I've used similar techniques to scan most of the predators in the game. I've never even built a stasis rifle.
(And stalkers are especially fun to play with.)
Game is somewhat challenging when you are "naked" but seamoth removes:
-fear of drowning
-travel speed
-travel capacity (carry more loot)
-most of games predators
- You are immune to reapers (they just cant catch up if you are dodging)
At one point in game, I explored deep reef wreck with 200m crush depth seamoth (looking for moonpool) and was really exciting, actually required some thoughts and planning;
Also subnautica predators are actually announcing when thy will attack, roaring and screaming when they do so. Best thing is, they are incapable on hitting a player whos activelly dodging. Also you can even dodge reaper with platesteel tanks and ultraglide fins. Actually scanned one in HC juking him next to cyclops (no stasis rifle).
I suggest that you challenge predators, let them attack and learn how to dodge. Even if they do damage, 1 bite and they will leave you alone.
Arguably, one thing I fear is reapers who clip through terrain. Thats just... scheit.
Heres a quick guide how to beat the game:
1. Safe shallows. Get extra tank, build scanner, build fins. (3-10 minutes). Grab extra seed cluster and store it.
2. Swim to floater island (5 minutes). Get all blueprints there, find 2 lithium. You now have fruits, mp room and so on. Build a rad suit. (20-40 mins)
3. Get builder, build a small base, put some growbeds and plant your seeds. Grab seed cluster and plant it if your far from kelp forest. (10 minutes)
4. By now, Aurora exploded. Build seglide, 2-3 extra tanks, go to grand reef dig out a diamond, build a laser cutter. (5-10 minutes)
5. Empty inventory, 2 tanks in total are needed (welder, cutter are a must have). Swim to aurora (dont dive). Enter through the front, loot like a madman, mind the crabs. Explore aurora (20 - 40 mins)
6. Swim back to base, store loot, grab diving equipment and go to blood kelp wreck (parallel with aurora). 2-3 dives in total, you now have veh. bay, battery charger and so on (20 mins)
7. build Bay and seamoth. You have mk1 pressure from aurora, you can go to 300m easy. Drive to sparse reef, find power cell charger, get uraninite in grand reef. (10 minutes)
8. You now have all for prawn, build it. Walk prawn to mountain biome wreck, bring extra tanks. You find mod station, moonpool, upgrade console and cyclops engine. (20-40 ish minutes)
9. Unload in base. Grab seamoth, drive to mushroom forest, find rest of cyclops fragments, grab lithium You now have everything, grind for materials (prawn drill is godsent). (10-20 mins)
10. You have won the game. Equip cyclops with fab, mod station, planters, chargers and storage. Dock exo.
It takes, all and all 4-6 hours until cyclops.
Best regards!
Yes, you can outrun the Stalkers with just fins. If you can't do that with the Seaglide then... I don't know. If I don't feel like running I just use my knife and dodge them.
I don't remember YOU spawning here!
Best way to get to safety in HC-Mode seems to be this list now:
1. Build a corridor Base
2. Build a seaglide (with aprox 8 batteries, you can reuse em later)
3. Build a radiation suit
4. Head north straight to get to the floating island wreck for propulsion gun
5. Enter the aurora and get the Exosuit parts.
6. Get Vehicle bay
7. Hf in easy mode (and don`t use beacons to not to get sick due to the up and down of their signs from the exo-movement xD )
With the Exo you can gather stuff and kill pesky Sealife.
Basicly what I did in survival without dying once.
(Had some issues with the new need of the Propulsion gun (stoppped playing a while) to enter the Aurora, but other than that there wasn`t much of a problem.)
The Seaglide outpaces most things, but that's not the way to avoid them. Wait for them to get close, then side-step them.
And you absolutely can go into Reaper territory with nothing. The same applies for them, wait for the head to be a few feet away and move to the side.
I've spent a good 10 minutes "bull fighting" a Reaper.
They're not scary, they're stupid.
Stalkers and Sandsharks are far more dangerous on hardcore, as you tend to ignore them a lot more and complacency lets them get behind you for a bite.
Bull fighting reapers is the best ain't it, I love how the scanner describes the reapers with the phase "No brains, Just muscle" because it's very obvious that they are stupid. They just wonder around like complete idiots until they spot ya and then they just become funny, Doing that weird shit with their mouth and mandibles things, It's like they coming in to give ya a hug, And you just like "Nooooo."